New gateway for growing destination

Moto, the UK's largest provider of Motorway Service Areas, has teamed up with The National Forest to make Donington Park Service Area a ‘Gateway’ to this forest in the making.

Donington Park Service Area lies just north of The National Forest boundary and is a perfect place from which to set off and explore the Forest. From the wildlife picnic area at the rear of the amenity building you can see the mature woodlands of the ancient Charnwood Forest, which forms the Eastern border of The National Forest.

Drivers travelling south from the service area on the M1 and A42 pass signs as they enter The National Forest and can see fields full of young woodland. As the trees grow and mature and new woodland is planted, this view will change.

So, to help raise awareness of one of Britain’s boldest environmental projects and to encourage visitors to the service area to explore this forest in the making, MOTO and the National Forest Company have worked together to add a range of information facilities across the rest stop.

These include beautiful wooden seating and a shelter around the attractive pond area at the rear of the building, a leaflet display unit and signage.

Chris Rogers, Marketing Director from Moto said: “We are very pleased to be working alongside the National Forest Company to nurture the environmental space around our Donington Park service area. We hope that the new range of facilities will give our customers a unique opportunity to learn about The National Forest and experience the changing landscape as the new woodland areas mature”.

This project is part of the East Midlands Tourism funded Visitor Infrastructure Project, designed to promote the wealth of things to see and do across the 200 square mile Forest, and make the connections between one part of the Forest and another. Other sites that feature new facilities as part of the project include Conkers, Twycross Zoo, Ashby Tourist Information Centre, Ferrers Centre for Arts and Crafts at Staunton Harold, Snibston, Sence Valley Forest Park, the new YHA National Forest and Rosliston Forestry Centre.

Each site has gained varied information points, which range from the shelters, panels and benches, to listening posts and touchscreen kiosks. Additional sites still to be installed include Beacon Hill Country Park and Foremark, Staunton Harold and Thornton Reservoirs.

Moto already does much work in the community through its charitable arm The Moto in the Community Trust. The Trust grants funds into the communities around Moto sites supporting small charities and local community projects, particularly focusing on schools, road safety and the environment.

In 2005 it formed a partnership with the Woodland Trust by holding a ‘Tree-mendous Tree Challenge’ at Moto sites around the UK. The campaign raised £25,000 for the Woodland Trust in just five days, which has paid to plant and maintain 2,500 saplings in Woodland Trust conservation areas around the UK.

Sophie Churchill, Chief Executive of the National Forest Company said: “We are delighted to work with Moto in raising awareness of the Forest in the service area.

“These new information points will give visitors a sense of place to the whole destination, help to promote the wider area and link attractions within the Forest.”

The work across all venues is due to be completed by March 2008. In the meantime, visitors can find more information on the huge choice of things to do and see in the Forest or places to stay for a brilliant weekend break by contacting the National Forest Company by logging onto the website Nationalforest.org.